Living in the city without a gym membership can put a damper on your fitness plans, especially if your employer does not have a gym. Luckily, I’m able to divide my workouts into two every day; I do the cardio on my lunch at work and I handle the rest at home. I live in an upstairs apartment, and even though there is no one currently living below me, I’ve had to modify a lot of workout videos and routines to fit my lifestyle. I’ve also had to search for fun workouts with low impact but high burning power.

My first go-to when I need a low impact exercise that I KNOW will get me sore is FitnessBlender. They have a big handful of low impact exercises with cardio that really do get you sweating. I especially love the kettlebell videos. I can’t say enough about kettlebell, but I’ll probably make a blog post about the benefits of kettlebell later!

Here is one of the most-viewed and liked low impact videos that Daniel and Kelli from FitnessBlender have put together:

They really know how to write an accessible routine for people of all fitness levels, and that is why I keep going back. They also emphasize the importance of form, not just for your safety, but for maximizing your calorie burn and muscle tone.

Other days, when I feel like I want something I can tailor or repeat as many times as possible, I look up “bodyweight exercise circuit” on Google and find images with routines that other people have made up.

I have no idea who made that one, but I did it yesterday a couple times through and loved it!

The advantage here is that you can look at the whole circuit up front, adjust exercises, add more weight, and repeat it as many times as you need to in order to get a better burn. I can’t tell you guys how many times I started a workout video to have my dreams crushed in the middle as I realized that jumping jacks were going to be recurring and I would have to replace those with jogging in place or knee highs.

Yet another way to avoid rocking the boat in an upstairs apartment would be to try yoga. I know yoga is supposed to be relaxing and full of fluffy bunnies and rainbows, but that stuff is mega hard. It requires a lot of control. For this reason, yoga is a wonderful toning and stretching exercise. It also won’t have your downstairs neighbors beating a broomstick against the ceiling in protest.

Trust me, yoga is definitely enough to get you good and sore. There are plenty of free videos online, but I have done Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube before. I love her because she’s genuine and quirky. There are plenty of free yoga videos online, and I hear there are plenty of yoga podcasts as well. Check them out!

One exercise that I haven’t yet tried but really want to try is to use a weighted hula hoop for cardio. I’ve been researching prices, reviews, and effectiveness on this one, and I’d really appreciate some feedback!

If you’re not willing to give up your plyometrics, there are at least some options for you to decrease your chances of disturbing your neighbors while you rip through those squat jacks.

There are plenty of designs, colors, and features on flooring such as this, but the idea is what I’m getting after. Many retailers offer flooring that snaps together and absorbs the impact from your workout. This keeps your neighbor from looking up at their shaking light fixtures in disgust and saves you from having to modify your routine. I definitely recommend this if you’re just completely unwilling to modify your routine, especially for those using INSANITY. Those plyometrics are fundamental!

Do you have more ideas for decreasing impact in an upstairs apartment? Feel free to comment and tell me about it!

Remember, modifying your routine is nothing to be ashamed of whether its due to your living circumstances, an injury, or your fitness levels. Just remember that getting up and doing anything at all is the first, best, and most important step there is to becoming healthier!